Clairol's Herbal Essences has rolled out a retail mobile campaign and is using Microsoft Tags on its in-store shelf talkers to help shoppers determine which hair products are best for them.

Shoppers can scan the Tag with their smartphones to find out which product is best suited for their hair. The Tag also offers additional content that lets consumers view detailed descriptions of each hair care collection that corresponds to their hair type.

?At the point of purchase we?re trying to help the shopper answer the question of what Herbal product is right for me?? said Justin Sparks, spokesman at Herbal Essences, Chicago.

?The mobile phone can serve as the ultimate tool to answer that question,? he said. ?We have a wealth of information, reviews and videos about every product that we can put right in the shopper?s hands as she makes her purchasing decision.

?Ultimately we hope the information leads to informed decisions for the right product right at the point of purchase.?

How it works
Herbal Essences has introduced the campaign in more than 53,000 stores, including in more than 13,350 food stores, 21,750 drug stores, 1,350 mass stores, 15,000 dollar stores, 1,550 office supply stores and in retailers such as CVS/pharmacy and Walgreens.   

A Microsoft Tag is a customizable 2D bar code that can be displayed anywhere and connects almost anything in the real world to information, entertainment and interactive experiences on a mobile device.

Consumers must download an application in order to scan a Microsoft Tag using their smartphones.

After scanning the Tag, shoppers are redirected to a mobile landing page where they can view Herbal Essences products, take quizzes and learn how they can achieve a certain hair style.

Additionally, shoppers can read customer reviews.

?The shopper is our boss,? Mr. Sparks said. ?We know that they are already using their smartphones to look up information on products as they shop in-store, so we want to use the mobile Tag to give them easy access to information on the products they're looking for.?

The campaign lets shoppers take a quiz about their hair type to find out which product is most suitable for them.

In addition, consumers can view YouTube videos with tips on hair styling.

Shoppers can take a quiz after scanning the Tag

Shoppers can learn how to achieve a certain hairstyle

Consumers can learn more about the products

?We're constantly exploring ways to meet consumer's needs,? Mr. Sparks said. ?Mobile is obviously a huge part of the way people interact with products across every touch point, so it makes sense to leverage it.

?We know shoppers come in armed with iPhones and other mobile devices, so we turned them into a tool to inform their decision,? he said.

Final Take